Top.



ME. GRANDALL.

TOP.

APPLICATION FILED APRJI. 1913` NORA-l5 PINE/2S Co..PHoTo-Ll1lm. WAM/Immun. l;

lilltllTElU dlldllllhd PATENT @Flllltllll MAX E. CRANDALL, Ol? KINGFlISI-IER, OKLAHOMA. 1

TOP.

Maase?,

Application led April 11, 1913.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that l, MAX E. CRANDALL, citizen of the United States, residing at Kingfisher, in the county ot Kingfisher and State ot Oklahoma, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements in Tops, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to spinning tops, and as one feature of novelty the invent-ion contemplates the provision of a top of double conical form provided at one apeX with a sharply pointed plug or spindle and at its other apex with an approximately flat plug or spindle, the top being adapted to be spun at the will of the user, in such manner as to strike the ground, either end foremost. As a result, the single top may be spun so as to be approximately stati0nary while spinning or may be spun so as to walk Another aim oi the invention is to provide a top of double conical form, the two conical portions of which may be conveniently tapered so that the perimeter of the ltop at the juncture of the bases of the conical portions will be located a greater or less distance above the surface upon which the top is spinning, depending upon which end of the top is in contact with the said surface so that the top may be spun in such manner as to strike against and knock about other tops among which it is spun.

Another aim of the invention is to provide means for lightly gripping the knot 'of the top string so that as the end of the string leaves the surface of the top an additional whipping effect will be produced causing the top to spin for a greater length of time and more rapidly than would otherwise be the case.

For a iull understanding of the invention reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which- Figure l illustrates a perspective view of the top immediately after it has left the top cord. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the top. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the top illustrating in full lines its conical portions correspondingly tapered and in dotted lines the manner in which the taper of the two portions may be varied. Fig. d is a view partly in elevation and partly in section illustrating the manner in which the cord is to be wound upon the top and the manner Specicaton of Letters Patent.

Patented dan. 5, i915.

Serial No. 780,511.

in which the knot in the cord is to be engaged with the top.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and indicated in all the views of the accompanying drawing by the same reference characters.

The top embodying the present invention comprises essentially a body which is preierably formed from wood as in the instance of the ordinary type of top now on the market and the said body is of double rusto conical form as clearly shown in the several gures of the drawing. One portion of -the body is indicated specifically ,by the reference numeral l and the other conical portion by the reference numeral 2, the bases of the said portions being united at approximately the middle of the body as a whole, whereby to provide an intermediate peripheral portion 3 of greater diameter than any other portion oi' the said body. While the conical portions 1 and 2 comprising the body of the top, may be tapered to the same degree as shown in iull lines in Fig. 8 of the drawing, it may be found desirable and very probably will, to give the two portions different degrees of taper, as for example, as shown in dot and dash lines in the said tlgure in which illustration the portion l is more gradually tapered than the portion 2, and of course ir" desired, this relative proportionment of the two parts l and 2 of the body of the top may be reversed so that the part 2 will taper more gradually than the part 1.

The portion l of the top body is provided at its apeX with a plug or spindle 4 having a sharply pointed end 5, the said plug having the usual circumscribing groove 6 in which the top cord is placed prior to winding it upon the portion l which is of course, done in the usual manner. rlhe portion 2 of the body is provided at its apex with a plug the shank of which is indicated by the numeral 7 and is provided with a head S the striking surface of which is rounded as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawing, but only to a slight degree so that the said face is nearly flat. The face is formed with a number of intersecting grooves 9 and it will be readily understood that when the top is spun with this end as its striking end, the plug will by reason of its peculiar for1` mation cause the top to walk. lt will be noted that the head 8 is slightly spaced from the apex of the portion 2 so that a short length of the shank 7 is exposed and a groove is formed which corresponds to the groove 6 in the plug '-l.

It lwill new be apparent that when the top is spun with the plug 4 as the striking plug, it will, after striking, remain approximately stationary while spinning, but on the other hand if it is so thrown that its plug 8 will strike, the top will, while spinning, move about from place to place which is of course desirable where the objeet is to strike other tops and roll them out of a ring. It will thus be seen that the top actually takes vthe place of two tops, one provided with a sharp plug and the other with a blunt plug. Aside from the advantages gained by providing the top with two plugs diierent in form, the specific form of the plug head S constitutes an important feature of the invention. As above stated, a number of the grooves are provided and these grooves intersect each other so that when the top, While spinning, is inclined in one direction or another the'grooves will catch in the surface upon which the top is being spun and will cause the top to walk more rapidly than if the plug were merely of the ordinary blunt type.

It is a well-known fact that if in spinning a top a sharp pull is exerted upon the top cord after the top has left the hand, the top will be more rapidly spun and will remain spinning for a greater length of time but skill is required to successfully whip the top as it leaves the cord.

The present invention has as one of its aims to provide a top which may be spun without the exercise of any particular skill and which will spin as fast and as long as though not provided with the improvements embodying this invention but spun in an expert manner.

The means provided for accomplishing the above mentioned result, is in the nature of a recess or socket l() which is formed in the peripheral portion 3 of the top at any desired point and which has extending from it at opposite sides and longitudinally of the top, relative shallow grooves ll which receive the end portion of the top cord, the knot in the cord indicated at l2, being iitted in the socket l0. It will be understood ol. course that the walls of the recess l0 will lightly confine or engage with the knot l2 in the top cord so that as the top leaves the cord and the cord is whipped backwardly, additional momentum will be given the spinning top causing it to spin for a greater period of time than would otherwise be the case, although skill is not required to produce this result.

It will be observed by reference to Fig. .4: of the drawing that in winding the cord upon the top whether upon the portion 1 or the portion 2 of the body thereof the knotted end of the cord is first engaged in the socket l0 and one of the grooves ll and the cord is then laid beside the portion upon which it is to be wound, longitudinally of the top, to the apex oi the said portion where it is wound in the usual manner.

Having thus described the invention what is claimed as new is l. A top comprising a body of substantially conical form, and a ixed spindle at the apex of the body, the said spindle being relatively blunt and formed with intersecting grooves.

2. A top comprising a body having the form of a double cone, and a fixed spindle at each apex of the body, the body at the juncture of the cones being formed with a knot-receiving socket and with cord-receiving grooves extending in opposite directions from the socket.

3. A top comprising a body of substantially conical form, and a spindle at the apex of the body, approximately semispherical and formed in its convex side with a plurality of intersecting grooves.

4.-. A top having a spindle provided with a plurality of separated bearing portions.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

MAX E. CRANDALL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. C. 

